The Indian Context: From Caution to Strategic Engagement For over a decade, India's approach to foreign bank presence remained restrictive. Despite the 2005 roadmap allowing foreign banks to choose between branch and wholly owned subsidiary modes, not a single foreign bank selected the subsidiary route. The preference for branch presence reflected a fundamental asymmetry: foreign banks gained market access while India bore limited jurisdiction and control over these entitie

Introduction The Reserve Bank of India’s Master Direction on Cash Reserve Ratio (“ CRR ”) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (“ SLR ”), 2025 (“ Directions ”) represents a recalibration of the liquidity regulation ecosystem that underpins India’s banking stability. This framework aims to consolidate a patchwork of circulars and notifications into a single, coherent directive bringing long-overdue clarity to two of the most foundational prudential tools in RBI’s monetary policy ar

We are delighted to share this week's AKP Banking & Finance Weekly Digest. Please feel free to write to us with your feedback at info@akandpartners.in. 1. Regulatory Updates 1.1. India Reserve Bank of India (RBI) 1.1.1. RBI issues draft Directions to harmonise natural calamity relief norms across Regulated Entities Reserve Bank of India (“ RBI ”) issued draft Directions to rationalise and harmonise prudential norms for relief and resolution of

We are delighted to share this month's AKP Dispute Resolution Monthly Digest. Please feel free to write to us with your feedback at info@akandpartners.in. 1. Arbitration Law 1.1 Real Estate and Construction 1.1.1. Supreme Court Held Party Filing Statement of Claim First Is the “Claimant” Mere Absence of Notice Does Not Invalidate Proceedings The Supreme Court has held that in arbitral proceedings, the "Claimant" is the party that files the Statement of Claim first in point of

Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (“ SEBI ”) “accredited investor” framework in the Alternative Investment Funds (“ AIF ”) space is built around a simple trade-off: once all investors in a scheme are demonstrably sophisticated, SEBI is prepared to step back from some standardised protections and allow greater freedom of contract. The SEBI (AIFs) (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2025 (“ Third Amendment ”) crystallise this idea through a new label called the “Accredited In

We are delighted to share this week's AKP Corporate & Compliance Weekly Digest. Please feel free to write to us with your feedback at info@akandpartners.in. 1. Labour Law 1.1. Employees’ Enrolment Scheme offers compliance window for missed EPF coverag e The Government outlined the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign-2025 as a special window for employers to voluntarily enrol eligible employees who were left out from Employees’ Provident Fund coverage between J

Introduction Would you stake decades of resources and your company's reputation on an assumption about technology buried deep within your value chain? A legal battle spanning two decades recently concluded, centring on the complex question of whether the mere replication of a disc constitutes the use of a patented "system." The suit was initiated in 2004 by Koninklijke Philips N.V., which asserted that its 1990 patent for a "Digital Transmission System" was fundamental to t

We are delighted to share this week's AKP Banking & Finance Weekly Digest. Please feel free to write to us with your feedback at info@akandpartners.in. 1. Regulatory Updates 1.1. India Reserve Bank of India (RBI) 1.1.1. RBI issues Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the Reserve Bank of India (Priority Sector Lending – Targets and Classification) (Amendment) Directions, 2026 Reserve Bank of India (“ RBI ”) issued the Reserve Bank of India (Priority Sector Lending – Ta

We are delighted to share this week's AKP Corporate & Compliance Weekly Digest. Please feel free to write to us with your feedback at info@akandpartners.in. 1. Labour Law 1.1. EPFO further extends December wage-month ECR filing timeline Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) issued a circular extending the due date for filing the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (“ ECR ”) and remitting dues for the wage month of December 2025 up to January 22, 2026,